Los Angeles Spotlights ‘Open Data Day’

Posted on March 02, 2018 at 11

Los Angeles Spotlights ‘Open Data Day’

Los Angeles -- L.A. Controller Ron Galperin and the Los Angeles City Council today recognized Open Data Day, spotlighting the tremendous work of Angelenos whose use of numbers has led to more transparency, trust and transformation in government.

Controller Galperin, who has led the way in City government to provide more data-driven tools to increase transparency, led the presentation with Councilmember Monica Rodriguez, head of the Council’s Information, Technology and General Services Committee. Together, the two leaders recognized the group Data + Donuts and the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) for encouraging the use and application of data within government. A joint collaborative between the City, County and the local L.A.civic technology community, Data + Donuts convenes the City’s makers and doers whose common goal is to use data to drive meaningful change within local government. SCAG, a regional association of local governments and agencies that voluntarily convene as a forum to address regional issues, to create a more shareable, open, and impactful community.

“I believe in open data because I’ve seen it work,” L.A. Controller Ron Galperin said. “Open data is powerful; it fosters transparency and is a key building block in helping to sow faith in our public institutions. Open data improves the relationship between public institutions and the people we serve -- for it lays open all that we’re doing for all to see.”

“I’m proud to celebrate Open Data Day in the City of Los Angeles,” Councilmember Monica Rodriguez said. “As chair of the City’s Information Technology and General Services Committee, I am committed to creating a culture of accountability at City Hall. Our work begins with sharing resources and empowering our communities to engage with local government, and I look forward to continuing efforts to increase transparency and promoting civic innovation.”

The City of Los Angeles is a leader throughout the country in civic innovation and transparency through its use of open data practices. In January, Bloomberg Cities rated Los Angeles as the only city in the country to receive Gold status for its work in being a data-driven city. With more data being available now more than ever before, it is imperative for the City of Los Angeles to be prepared to tap into data to improve efficiency and remain open.

Galperin’s full open data program can be found at lacontroller.org and includes: ControlPanelLA, which provides information about the City’s expenditures, revenues, payroll accounts and more; Checkbook LA, which documents all of the goods and services purchased by the City of Los Angeles; PropertyPanelLA, the most comprehensive map of 9,000 parcels owned by the City of Los Angeles.